Anti-gang panelists say kids need places to go

Tuesday

Feb 25, 2014 at 8:53 PM

The most powerful accounts came from Ashley Newsome, a 20-year-old self-admitted former gang member.

By Adam WagnerAdam.Wagner@StarNewsOnline.com

A group of four panelists, including a New Hanover High School senior and an admitted former gang member, told about 140 people Tuesday night that there aren't enough places for young people to spend time on nights and weekends."With a lot of single moms and no after-school programs and no mentors, it's hard to get the kids some kind of leadership role or anything to look forward to without any help in the home structure," said Tyrone Bragg, a local entrepreneur who grew up in Wilmington and spent time in prison.Bragg was speaking at the MLK Center during the last in a series of forums about how the city can solve the gang problem that plagued it for much of last summer and into the early fall. The panels began in early November, at which point Wilmington City Manager Sterling Cheatham promised a set of recommendations would result from the forums. After Tuesday night's forum, Cheatham said he would write the brief recommendations himself and hopes to have them within 30 days.Some panelists, though, viewed the label of gang activity as a chance for officials to avoid talking about other problems. "The gang violence, sure there's definitely that issue, but I personally feel it's the boogie man for some other underlying issues going on here," said Nick Deluca, one of the panelists.Deluca pointed to the lack of community centers beyond the MLK Center as one of the problems plaguing Wilmington's kids."There's nowhere for any of the kids to go," Deluca said. "You have these kids joining these gangs out of fear of being isolated where they're already stuck in an environment. They feel like there's no way out, there's nothing to look forward to, so why would they go do that by themselves?"Tyrin McMillan, a New Hanover High School student, said it's important to find a mentor, like he'd found Brandon "Bigg B" Hickman, who led the forum."Find a person that you can just talk to," McMillan said.The most powerful accounts came from Ashley Newsome, a 20-year-old self-admitted former gang member. "I did it because I wanted to do it, but I felt like we was all family and we made money together, we ate together, basically," said Newsome, whose life changed at 15 when she had a daughter.Newsome, who has since had a son, is now one test away from receiving her GED. To leave the gang, she had to be "jumped out," a process in which gang members beat someone who wants to enter or leave the group."Fighting against other people, my group basically. And I got to keep myself up," Newsome said, describing being jumped out. "Make sure I don't fall."At least one of the panelists expressed optimism that officials would be able to cure some of the city's gang troubles."I just came today as a formula," Bragg said. "I want to be one formula amongst the mathematicians in this room that are gonna put together the scientific problem to solve this situation in Wilmington."